California man charged with illegally importing leopard

Federal prosecutors have charged a California man with illegally bringing into the United States the skull and skin of a leopard they say he killed in South Africa.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in San Francisco says a grand jury on Thursday indicted 38-year-old Adam Thatcher Lawrence with one count of importing wildlife contrary to law and one count of mislabeling wildlife intended for importation.

Prosecutors say Lawrence, of Willits, California, killed the leopard in 2011 without a proper permit and then obtained a permit to bring the hunting trophy to the U.S. that falsely stated the animal was killed in Mozambique.

Court documents did not list an attorney for Lawrence. A message left at a phone listing for him was not immediately returned.